Red Huxley, NOTHING MORE album review by Crazy Jay

Hey all you indie blues, rock n roll fans… we had are guy, Crazy Jay, listening to the Red Huxley, Nothing More, album over the holidays and offering his review on this rad album! He is a very passionate person who believes in the local talent we have on offer in our beautiful country, here is his take on this album:

RED HUXLEY

NOTHING MORE

Sweet swirling beer battered onion rings by Lucky Rodrigo! It’s a New Year people and we kick start the year with a new review of the indie blues rockers from Cape Town, Red Huxley – Nothing More album.

Firstly, I have to say I have been waiting a very long time for this album, because the boys from Cape Town had to save up money to go make their album in California at the legendary Rancho De La Luna studios, where the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal and Arctic Monkeys, to name a few, have recorded. So understandably I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I got the album.

Sadly… it didn’t give me that Christmas morning feeling and I don’t know if it was because of the hype or I maybe expected too much from the amazing live rockers but I have mixed feelings about the album. Don’t get me wrong I will always support South African music and promote it like hell, but when a band saves up so much money to go record an album overseas and when you listen to it and it sounds like it was made in South Africa, it is a bit disappointing. Maybe they wanted to have that SA-like sound on the album but then why not record it in South Africa?

I must say though on the other hand it is a bouncy blues, tingling up in yo southern mamma’s grill type of rock n roll album, with awesome guitar riffs and catchy lyrics. Almost like the old Kings of Leon albums, Aha Shake Heartbreak and Youth and Young Manhood. My Favorite track on the album is ‘Coming Home’, the song is pure indie rocking blues that makes you wanna do the boogie twist at the rock club or at home in front of the mirror.

Look these guys have talent and I can see it. There are hints and touches of magic in the album, but the weak drumming and subtle singing make the album fall flat at times. I want powerful raw scratchy like vocals like that of Dan Patlansky or Kobus de Kock (of Black Cat Bones) in my blues rock so that I can get that spine chilling feeling of emotion you get from listening to blues music, it’s gots-to have feeling baby.

If you like indie blues rock, by any means give the album a go, you might like it even more than I do, but this was not fully there for me. In the end it’s not a bad album like I said there is awesomeness hiding away in the album, almost like hidden caramel in the centre of your cupcake bitches 😉 he he.